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Storing bulk sugar, salt, honey

6K views 39 replies 19 participants last post by  Cat wrangler 
#1 ·
Just wanted to drop in and ask a quick question. I'm planning on buying a large quantity of this stuff.....i've got to run the numbers on our usage level, but i'd like to buy 10 years worth of supply, and if I have more room, going for longer. I know this stuff is supposed to last "forever", but I do have a few questions.

1) Sugar/Salt, just pouring it into food-grade buckets ok? Do I need to put something in the sugar to prevent moisture/clumping? I know for most perishable foods mylar is the way to go, but it's not actually necessary for salt and sugar is it?

2) Honey, does it matter what the containers are made from? My instinct tells me glass is better than plastic. Does it matter?

3) When it comes to sugar/salt, any tips for making it easier to use from the bucket? Maybe special 5-gal lids that have smaller openings or spouts or something?

4) Any other tips?
 
#2 ·
You should fill on a dry day or in a dry space. Whenever you are running central heat or AC the humidity will be low.

Otherwise you have to use desiccant packs. Big ones.

If you go to a real paint store, not the big box home centers, you can buy or order new 5 gallon lids with a pull up pour spout.

Real paint stores will also sell/order metal 5 gallon empty cans with spouts. Just don't put the salt in metal.

Start off at a retail Sherwin Williams store. They might have order minimums though if it isn't a stock item.

Forget online. Too few vendors and freight is high. A 5gal metal closed head drum with spout should be under $20 but online sellers either want to sell you one for $50 or sell you a pallet of 20.

If you live rural you might call the closest city. A paint store that deals with residential paint contractors should help.
 
#3 ·
I've never done the honey so I can't help with that. I keep our honey in jars and in a cool, dry, dark place.

Now - although you do need to keep salt and sugar dry and keep bugs out of them, they do not need oxygen absorbers. And, the absorbers will harden the sugar (like a block). Just find a food safe bucket with a tight lid (I like the gamma lids). I still seal them in mylar bags first and then put in the bucket - just without the absorber.

I use the buckets to keep rodents out and to protect the mylar bags from getting any holes poked in them. You probably wouldn't need to use the mylar bags but I like the extra security of having them double sealed... so to speak.

I get my buckets from a local grocery store that has a bakery. As long as there is still frosting in the buckets (and that's how they leave them) - you know they are food grade. You just have to clean them well. Our stores just give them to us... but we have to call in and 'order' them so they can hold them.

Also by storing them in one gallon mylar bags first... I don't have to keep opening a bucket to get into the salt or sugar and opening it up to the potential to contaminants getting into the whole bucket. I just use up each mylar bag and then get another one.
 
#5 ·
I've never done the honey so I can't help with that. I keep our honey in jars and in a cool, dry, dark place.

Now - although you do need to keep salt and sugar dry and keep bugs out of them, they do not need oxygen absorbers. And, the absorbers will harden the sugar (like a block). Just find a food safe bucket with a tight lid (I like the gamma lids). I still seal them in mylar bags first and then put in the bucket - just without the absorber.

I use the buckets to keep rodents out and to protect the mylar bags from getting any holes poked in them. You probably wouldn't need to use the mylar bags but I like the extra security of having them double sealed... so to speak.

I get my buckets from a local grocery store that has a bakery. As long as there is still frosting in the buckets (and that's how the leave them) - you know they are food grade. You just have to clean them well. Our stores just give them to us... but we have to call in and 'order' them so they can hold them.

Also by storing them in one gallon mylar bags first... I don't have to keep opening a bucket to get into the salt or sugar and opening it up to the potential to contaminants getting into the whole bucket. I just use up each mylar bag and then get another one.
This is similar to what we do with many bulk items (sugar, flour, rice, beans, oats) but I keep wondering & hoping someone could solve the issue of wasted air gaps in between the 1 gal Mylar or vacu-seal bags. Because there is quite a lot of dead air space in the 5 (7) gal buckets. I have in some buckets put a pair of new cotton socks or even cotton balls, something compressible, but wonder if there would be a better option to just keep those buckets full of food items.
Anyone have a solution?
 
#4 ·
I got a galvanized 20 gal rat-proof garbage can and loaded it with 120 lbs of various sized bags of sugar. I keep it above the garage. After 4-5 years the bags look like the day I put them in there.

This is my alcohol stash, 2.5 lbs of sugar is supposed to yield a gallon of wine-equivalent beverage. I am currently testing that calculation but even if you're not a drinker, sugar is a cheap and low-preparation source of calories.
 
#12 ·
I use quart jars for just about everything, including LTS salt and sugar. Theres still a bunch of 5&6 gallon buckets and mylar this n' thats in the mix but jars are the future in my house. Fill the jars, add a dessicant pack, seal and put back into the box the jars come in. Use a cardboard divider between the jars to prevent glass on glass contact. Once in the box, they stack nicely too. Just make sure to protect them from falling, especially if you're somewhere prone to earthquakes.
 
#9 ·
I transferred my honey from a plastic jug to small mason jars because I use so little honey.

Salt and Sugar - I use 5 gallon pails with omega lids. I bought walmart Great Value twist tie storage bags. I put the salt or sugar in these. About 4 cups for each bag. I set them in the pail one at a time. If they are not tied and set in somewhat loose they can mold into each other to close up the air gaps that are problematic with the mylar bags. After the bag is settled, I give the top of the bag a twist to close. I do not use the twist ties themselves. Now it is easy for me to get a bag out in small enough sizes for me to break it up if it gets solid.

I had originally stored 5 gal. of salt directly in the bucket and after a year it started setting up. Luckily, I caught it before I had to chip it out of the bucket :)

I like the round pails because they can be moved around and are very sturdy.
 
#10 ·
Good to have sealed containers stored in a temperature even environment. Sugar and salt can clump hard as a rock when air moisture gets to them.

Store Iodised salt. I just refill smaller containers from the bucket. Use the retail salt containers.


These small plastic containers I refill for belt kits, ration packs, back packs, vehicles and FAKs etc

I use non candying honey for storage.
 
#11 ·
I use some totes also, but... they are heavy. I prefer the buckets so I can easily move them. And, I've found that buckets stack sturdier and higher - safely. There is certainly a lot of wasted air space in round buckets. Getting the square ones help quite a bit. I'm cheap - so I refuse to buy buckets... I'd rather have some dead air space than be chucking out money for buckets. But - I also have the space to store lots of buckets; if I didn't - that might change my thought process.
 
#13 ·
Bakeries go through lot of square plastic frosting buckets all the time.

It's not hard to get a constant supply for next to nothing.

Of course if you don't want to spend the time effort or spend the money then I can't help.

Also totes come affordably in many sizes. 5, 12, 17, 27, 38, and 55 gallon in just this one affordable strong brand.
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Storage...=578,6859,566,584,6558&experienceName=default
 
#14 ·
In y2k I used gray plastic tuba wear tubs 24x18x18 it had a Lid but it dident seal very well.
I put beans sugar salt flower pasta coffee .
Packed every thing in good ziplock bags and packed them in tight .
Used packing tape to seal around the lid to seal them .
Every thing has been in good shape when I opened it . Bag beans where hard and I have to cook them for ever but Edible for sure .
I buy my honey in 5lb glass jars with plastic lids good stuff I just keep it in a dark area .
Once open it will get hard in a year or so but if you heat it it will turn back to honey again .
 
#16 ·
Edible doesn't mean nutritious. Any actual food like rice, beans, etc from Y2K in ziplocs is basically empty calories now.

It all oxidized to nothing better than white sugar that tastes different.
 
#15 ·
If you have cats (or friends with cats), most emptied cat litter product buckets are square/rectangular. As sturdy as plastic round buckets, stackable, and come with an integral handle and snap lid.

The ones I buy range in size from 4-5 gallons and are designed to hold up to 40 lbs of litter. Denser stuff like salt easily fits within the same space & weight parameters.

I use 'em for bulk salt storage. Up to 40# factory bags. Just drop bagged salt into bucket and snap folding lid closed. Done. I've never bothered with Mylar; just use the plastic factory bag the salt is sold in.

Been using 'em for salt storage for over a decade. Stacked up to 4 high. Work great.

For planning purposes, recommended dietary salt intake is 3 pounds, per adult, per year. So one adult would need a minimum of 30 lbs for 10 years. This would not include additional salt needed for bulk canning, curing, etc. Call it one 40# bucket per person as some folks tend to use more. Salt is cheap yet critical; store more than you think you need.

https://www.survivalistboards.com/showpost.php?p=17703914&postcount=26
 
#20 ·
If you don't already have mason jars and are going to buy them, for storing dry foods I think the wide mouth are much easier. You can fit a 1/4 c scoop in them, too. I always save all my used canning lids because they work great for dry foods.

Sugar can clump over time. It will be fine stored just in a bucket. Put it in mylar or even just ziploc bags for convenience sake inside the bucket. I stored some in 2 liter soda bottles once. ONCE. When it hardens it's hard to get out!

Honey will crystalize over time but it's still fine to eat - just warm it up. Glass containers are better than plastic. I've gotten the 32oz containers on sale before and dumped them into jars. Sometimes you can find bee farmers (I think there's a better word but it's past my bed time) and buy honey in 5lb containers, and then break it down into glass jars.
 
#23 ·
Just wanted to drop in and ask a quick question. I'm planning on buying a large quantity of this stuff.....i've got to run the numbers on our usage level, but i'd like to buy 10 years worth of supply, and if I have more room, going for longer.

4) Any other tips?
Wait.


If you like, buy a years supply, but buy the other 9 in a year when the food supply is less stressed/lower prices.
I was gonna add a couple tons after I got my root cellar dug.
Looks like no root cellar This year, and no grain purchase. (I was gonna go right to the farm like I did in 2007.)
Been watching the Craigslist adds for a few years every fall.


On the subject of milar:

Anyone else ever had mice chew through it?
I've had grains stored in milar in buckets (really a suboptimal solution when your dealing with multiple tons) for years now with no issue.

But I had a case of lifeboat rations (the sugar cookie tastingkind) in the cardboard box they came in. Threw them in on some order and didn't think about them.

Came across them later and mice had torn open the box, and chewed through the milar to eat the rations.

Every pack in the box.

Till I saw that I had planned on cutting the top off a ICB tote and just filling it with 20-30lb milar sacks. (most compact space, a "form" to stack them in, and my pallet Jack would move it)
But now I'm worried mice or rats would have a party.

55 gal steel drums aren't ideal space storage either, but it's all I can think of for peace of mind.
 
#24 ·
I have never had a mouse chew through a plastic bucket before, but i also keep a large bucket full of the block-style mouse poison (the blue-green stuff) and always keep a few of those blocks scattered around my basement. if they disappear i put more out. mice always go for the yummy poison first before they try going for more difficult stuff, and then they're kaput.

reminds me, i need to buy a couple more buckets of that stuff.

however it would also be deadly to pets and children if consumed, so this isn't for everyone
 
#26 ·
I stored food in the garage in a plastic garbage can. It was not real thick but it was the hard kind, maybe ABS, so it could be dragged, not soft like HD buckets. Rats(?) chewed clean through a bottom corner.
IDK if this experience translates directly into totes and buckets but it could be relevant.

Now I use a 100 gal city wheeled trash can much less wasted space. I have some totes but you can't always
stack them without bending the lids, opening the food to attack.
 
#31 ·
Thanks, country boy & others, we have and abundance of 5 to 7 gallon round buckets....plus a few squared off buckets. Have decided to fill the odd spaces in round (and even in the square) buckets with toilet paper or paper toweling!!! who knows, maybe these "bonus" bundles of TP or paper towels, will be "heaven-sent" to a future generation. In the meantime, we decided to try some 2012 long grain white rice from a 5 gal round bucket, and the taste was a little flat... mind you, we are used to organic long grain brown rice. So, the difference was apparent, but not going to be huge, HOWEVER we did have a whole roasted chicken and fresh broccoli - onion - carrot smothered across the top with a ginger- garlic sauce. So, the partially faded white rice was really just an afterthought!
 
#32 ·
I did quite a bit of research on storage methods before I got started. I looked at everything from plastic buckets to empty 2 liter bottles to glass mason jars. Due to the fact that I occasionally have rodents I opted for the glass jars. Its much heavier and more expensive than other methods but for me it gives me peace of mind that mice aren't chewing through my investment. I found oxygen absorbers at a store we have in the Pacific Northwest called Winco Foods. They have a small survival section near the bulk foods where they have buckets, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers.

For salt, I am storing the Celtic sea salt 1 lb packs in a 2 gallon bucket with a gamma seal lid for easy access. No special packing, just put them in they way they are. Honey is best stored in glass jars because you can boil it later to make the crystallized stuff pourable. I haven't stored sugar yet, but as others have said, don't use oxygen absorbers because it will turn into a brick.

For the grains like rice and oats I put them in the glass jars, freeze them for two weeks, place an O2 absorber in each one, put the lid on, suck the air out with a foodsaver and screw the band down. Seems fairly fool-proof to me.
 
#36 ·
Optimal Storage

HONEY = Mason Jars



SALT/SUGAR = Food grade open top steel drums, with lid & clamp rings
(durable, air tight - water & rodent proof)

Coffee can is for scale



55G food grade steel drums



Preferably all stored in a secure, consistently dark, cool, clean, dry place.
 
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#40 ·
This is what I have done for years.
First, I buy organic sugar. I think it clumps easier than processed white so am extra careful to avoid moisture. My short term sugar is in a food grade round bucket with a screw on lid. My long term sugar is in mylar, which I "burp" and then use the ziplock, not heat, seal in a bucket. I try to keep 100# per year for two of us. Jams and jellies take a lot if sugar when made in quantities.

My back up to sugar is my homemade maple syrup which is in sealed glass jars. I try to make 5-10 gallons a year. That is another post.

Honey is stored in glass as it always seems to crystalize. It makes it spreadable on toast, yum.

Salt is in freezer zip lock bags, in plastic buckets. I buy sea salt for humans. I buy bulk bags, 50#, for critters. I usually put that directly in plastic food grade bucket. I try to store lots of that as it can be used for many other purposes than critters. Tanning and pickling come to mind. I think 10# per person may be about right. Canning does take some.

I would love to get the good grade metal drums. They are pricey though. So it is buckets. I have bought a few extra thick food grade buckets when I have not been able to get anything besides the wimpy bakery buckets. Some bakeries get good buckets, some don't.

I have not had rodents chew into the buckets but did have them chew into a heavy plastic trash can in the coop. The cats helped me there.
 
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